Frequently Asked Questions

What will the programme involve?

There are 5 steps to the programme for participating farmers:

You register here for the programme
A baseline assessment of the current actions being implemented on your farm is undertaken
You will have the opportunity to see the total emissions figures for your farm - Know Your Number. This is an important starting point. It’s hard to change what you don’t measure.
An action plan for your farm will be developed in conjunction with an advisor - Make My Plan. Creating this action plan will be supported by being able to assess, select and commit to the actions that are most appropriate to your farm.
You will be supported to enable you to make the plan happen through a range of advisory supports, including both group-based and individual follow-up and advice.

What support do I get from this programme?

Signpost workshops and short training courses, focused on climate actions, including mitigation and adaptation measures.
An assessment of your current climate actions.
A farm specific Signpost Action Plan;
One-to-one Climate Action advice from a Teagasc Advisor;
Invitations to Signpost Farms farm walks and seminars;
Invitations to participate in thematic discussion groups;
Support in the implementation of your farm’s Nutrient Management Plan;
Digital newsletters, updates and text messages, including the monthly Signpost e-Newsletter;
Support in interpreting your farm’s GHG emissions and carbon footprint, including the opportunity for benchmarking your farm’s performance against industry targets

Is there a charge for the service?

No, the service is free of charge to all farmers

How long will the programme run for?

Participation in the programme will be for 3 years. Farmers will be supported during this 3 year period in adopting the key technologies identified in the Action Plan for their farm.

Where will I get baseline information for my farm?

A basic requirement for change is knowing where you are starting from. You will have access to this information through AgNav. AgNav is the new Sustainability Digital Platform being launched in 2023. This platform will recognise the existing actions in place on the farm and establish baseline data for your farm and generate a total emissions figure for your farm.

Following on from that, you will be able to determine the impact of different options and actions on the emissions profile specific to your farm. “Know My Number” is an important starting point for selecting the right actions in order to “Make My Plan” for the farm.

Who will deliver the programme to me?

Each will have a team of advisors to deliver the service. The service will be closely linked to the ongoing advisory support services currently in place. This ensures consistency and good integration into existing advisory programmes. The additional advisors will help boost the support available to you.

Will the programme deal with water quality and biodiversity loss?

The main focus of the programme will be on achieving our climate action plan target. There will be complementarity benefits to water quality and biodiversity enhancement. Programmes like ASSAP as well as our ongoing programmes across the range of farm enterprises will complement this programme.

How does this advisory programme link in with the Signpost Demonstration Farm Network?

There are two pillars to the Signpost Programme:

The network of Signpost demonstration farms
The Signpost Advisory Programme.

The Advisory Programme will maximise the reach of the Signpost Programme. The network of 120 demonstration farmers will play two critical roles in this programme:

They will be amongst the first to adopt climate mitigation and adaptation technologies, supported by their advisors; and
They will be central to farmer-to-farmer learning, sharing their experiences with other farmers through farm walks, events, articles, videos, media etc.

Is the Signpost programme part of a bigger plan by Teagasc to reduce emissions?

The Signpost programme is one component of the Teagasc Climate Action Strategy. The main pillars of the strategy are: